Pulmonary Function Lab

Service Locations

Pulmonary function testing is one of the basic tools for evaluating a patient's respiratory status. In patients with suspected pulmonary disease, it is often the first diagnostic test employed in the work-up. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are also used for pre-operative evaluation, managing patients with known pulmonary disease and quantifying pulmonary disability.

Although the fully equipped PFT laboratory utilizes a host of sophisticated equipment, simple spirometry is relatively easy to administer and standardize, and has become portable enough to use at outreach clinics and industrial health centers. The increasing availability of spirometry has led to greater use by both primary care physicians and specialists, some of whom may lack formal training in interpreting results. This educational module is designed to provide an introduction to quality assessment and basic interpretation of spirometric testing.